2019 TRIUMPH SPEED T WIN
FIRST REVIEW
P78
late them just to throw off a little excess
speed if you, ahem, misjudge your entry
speed for a bend.
The ABS does cut in quite late, so
you can be pretty aggressive in us-
ing the brakes, plus the top level Pirelli
Diablo Rosso III tires fitted to the bike give mega
grip, both in helping maintain turn speed—even
with the meaty torque, this is much more than a
point-and-squirt motorcycle—as well as helping
maximize the potential of the brake package. As
usual, even in the cool conditions for our ride the
Pirellis heated up super quickly after a stop, an
important confidence booster on a bike like this,
which entices you to go for it from the very first
moment—an attitude Mr. Johnson was a key factor
in promoting.
The new Speed Twin is essentially a
more comfortable, more rational version
of the Thruxton, and the settings chosen
for the KYB forks and twin rear coil-over
shocks adjustable only for spring preload
are a key element of that. Too bad if you
wanted to fiddle with the suspension, but you
really don't need to, because Wood & Co. have
done a great job in hitting on an ideal setup.
They've kept the same spring rates as on the
Thruxton, but with less rear preload and a higher
oil level on the front, for slightly different fork
damping. Coupled with the great grip from the
front Pirelli, the result encourages you to keep up
turn speed to what at first appears an improbable
degree, and coupled with excellent ride qual-
ity the result is hard to fault on all but the most
Svelte and nimble
has always been
the Speed's
trademark. It was
Alan's, too, once
upon a time.
